When did the Forbidden Fruit Become an Apple?
www.youtube.com
In the story of Adam and Eve why is the forbidden fruit always depicted as an apple? The story itself just says fruit. Unfortunately, the answer you get when...
  • CaptainSpaceman@lemmy.world
    10·
    2 months ago

    Interesting stuff!

    Theres early christian iconography revolving around mushrooms as well, so ive wondered if the “forbidden fruit” aka “fruit of knowledge” was originally a psilocybin mushroom.

      • WhiteHairSuperSaiyan@lemmynsfw.com
        4·
        2 months ago

        The head of a mushroom is a fruiting body. I know that is a huge distinction but could be confused pretty easily. Especially if there is some translation fun between.

        • bionicjoey
          13·
          2 months ago

          Unless youre trying to tell me everything in the bible is literal?

          Obviously not. But that’s not a metaphor. That’s just using the wrong word.

            • bionicjoey
              11·
              2 months ago

              No, but like, a metaphor is when there’s some second meaning. Why would you call a mushroom a fruit? Especially since none of this was in English anyway and so there’s no way of knowing if any secondary meanings of the word would have also made any sense poetically.

  • Lvxferre@mander.xyz
    9·
    2 months ago

    Regarding Latin malum: people often have the impression that the word specifically means “apple” due to a bunch of crappy Latin textbooks. It’s messier though, and the video is correct - it could be used to refer to any type of fruit, although in the absence of context you’d “default” to apples. This can be shown through synchronic evidence, like Apicius 4.3.4:

    4. MINUTAL MATIANUM. […] Media coctura mala matiana purgata intrinsecs concisa tessellatim mittes. […]
    4. Matian Mince. […] While cooking, add [to the pot] Matian fruits (=apples) that had their cores removed and cut into pieces.

    If “mala” was enough to refer to apples, why is the author specifying that those need to be “mala matiana”?

    Diachronic evidence shows the same. Using Portuguese for the examples:

    • mala matiana “Mattius’ fruit(s)” → maçã “apple”
    • mala romana “Roman fruit(s)” → romã “pomegranate”

    If “mala” was used exclusively for apples the first one wouldn’t get an adjective, just like in Apicius’ recipe book; and the later would’ve never popped up.

  • Marighost@lemm.ee
    3·
    2 months ago

    Interesting video. I think I’ve heard of it as an apple growing up in a Christian household.

    Semi related, but I enjoy the Gnostic interpretation of the Forbidden Fruit story, in which the Serpent (aka Lucifer) tempts Eve with the fruit of knowledge to achieve Gnosis, so she may learn the true meaning of their existence (the understanding that God is not their true creator). This paints Lucifer as the hero and God, or Yaldabaoth in Gnosticism, as the villain.

    • amotio@lemmy.world
      22·
      2 months ago

      How does this cover differ from someone making it in photoshop (like most covers)? AI is in this case just useful tool IMO.